![\"changes](\"http:\/\/theskepticalzone.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/embryo_methylation.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDNA is not just a static read-only memory (ROM) for coding proteins, but hosts dynamic random access memory (RAM) in the form of methylations and histone modifications for regulation of gene expression, cellular differentiation, learning and cognition, and who knows what else. The picture below depicts how rapidly the RAM aspect of DNA is changed during embryogenesis.
\n<\/p>\n
Many of the DNA methylation patterns are in non-coding repetitive regions. This suggests at least some of the roles of non-coding DNA are involved in supporting the complex epignomic memory in each cell.<\/p>\n
Depicted below are changes in epigenetic methylation marks on the DNA in the stages of embryo development. The light green colors indicate epigenetic methylations and the darker blue colors indicate absence of epigenetic methylations. In boxes “a” through “l”, the bottom part is the DNA from the mother and the top part is the DNA from the father. Eventually the DNA from mom and dad mix in the 4 cells of box “m”. <\/p>\n
Note how the epigenetic marks are erased from the parternal DNA first!<\/p>\n
The depiction below shows how rapidly epigenetic changes happen even in time frames as short as hours. Each cell has a slightly different methylation pattern and hence each cell’s RAM has some unique information. If we consider that the human has 100 trillion cells and that each cell has 30 million potential methylation sites, the sum total of RAM memory implemented by epigenetic cytosine methylation alone is on the order of sextillions of bits of Shannon information. Like histones, DNA methylations can be written, erased and read.<\/p>\n
When scientists inhibit epigenetic changes, the results are usually lethal. So we know the epigenetic component of the DNA is vital to life.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\na\u2013e, Anti-5-methylcytosine (MeC) immunofluorescence of mouse one-cell embryos. a, Zygote 3 h after fertilization with intense MeC labelling of both pronuclei (>10). Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of embryos analysed. b Paternal and maternal pronuclei at 6 h (>10). c, Undermethylated paternal pronucleus at 8 h (>20). The smaller female pronucleus remains methylated. d, Aphidicolin-treated one-cell embryo displaying demethylation of the male pronucleus (>20). e, First metaphase (>5). f\u2013j, Controls. Anti-DNA immunofluorescence of one-cell embryos demonstrates that both chromatin sets are accessible to antibody molecules. f, 3 h (>5). g, 6 h (>5). h, 8 h (>5). i, Aphidicolin treatment (>5). j, First metaphase (2). k,l, MeC staining of two-cell embryos at 22 h (>20) (k) and 32 h (>20) (l) shows that the paternal and maternal compartments have different methylation levels. m, Four-cell embryo at 45 h (>10). The MeC-staining intensity of the maternal half of the nucleus is weaker than in two-cell embryos. Scale bar, 10 mum.<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.nature.com\/nature\/journal\/v403\/n6769\/fig_tab\/403501b0_F1.html#figure-title<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.nature.com\/nature\/journal\/v403\/n6769\/fig_tab\/403501b0_ft.html\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DNA is not just a static read-only memory (ROM) for coding proteins, but hosts dynamic random access memory (RAM) in the form of methylations and histone modifications for regulation of gene expression, cellular differentiation, learning and cognition, and who knows … Continue reading